Saint Hagop Armenian Church

I returned from Armenia a week ago, the question asked more than any other is what’s happening with the turmoil between the church and state. Sadly, it’s become so publicly vicious that its in the news around the world, so it’s irresponsible to ignore it but neither do you want to talk about it. Well,… The post Wheat & Weeds in the Armenian Highlands first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Chur...

In today’s Gospel reading Jesus tells a ghost story. We adults aren’t generally into such stories, but talk to anyone in their early teens or remember when you were that age, we loved them!  I read nearly every Steven King book by the time I was thirteen, and today there are dozens of books, movies… The post Ghost Stories first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

It seems that nowadays there is a podcast on every topic (including my personal favorite St. Hagop sermons). I stumbled upon one last week which resonated with wisdom, especially with today’s feast of Pentecost.  The podcast is called ‘We regret to inform you: the rejection podcast,’ with over one hundred episodes about people who are… The post The Rejection Sermon first appeared on St. Hago...

Today’s reading from this week’s feast of Ascension, begins with an odd question.  Two angels of God ask the Apostles “Why do you stand staring into heaven?” Odd question, because they have just witnessed their teacher Jesus lifted up and into the clouds.  It would seem natural to stare.  But I don’t think they were… The post Stop Staring! first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian...

Voices are trustworthy and deeply personal, and since God made everything including us, he knows this. So does his Son Jesus, which is why he uses the metaphor of voice recognition of a loved one to describe the intimate bond he wishes to have with us his faithful. Jesus illustrates the bond in the case… The post Voice Recognition first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

There is always a choice in what we want to see and hear, and as God’s children we don’t always make the wisest choices. We tend to hear what we want to hear and see what we want to see, because we don’t know any better. Yet our Scriptures, our church and our Lord continually… The post The Hearing Ear, The Seeing Eye first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

In this way you could say that the Armenian church has always been like a “recycle bin,” a “repurposing bin” for its people and for individuals. We come to church, confessing and putting aside our old sinful selves, and through communion with God, He recycles and repurposes us for a new week to do His… The post The Great Recycler first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian C...

The danger in dealing with loss, and where our faith is absolutely crucial—is that we can easily get stuck in our loss, in our grief; I see it all the time and it happens to me too.  We can be so diligent to remember and preserve the past, that we forget to live in the… The post The Place Seems Empty first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

There is an old story of two travelling monks, which might help us remember to put down our burdens and seek up for God. These monks come to a river where a woman was waiting, unable to cross alone without soiling her silken robes. She stood there with arms crossed scolding her attendants whose hands… The post Heavy Things first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

My son Narek’s birthday was on Friday and when asked what he wants for his birthday, he prizes one gift above all others. I want a yes day.  If you aren’t aware, a yes day is when anything you ask for- you get.  Narek’s yes day started with asking to go to a fancy restaurant.… The post Yes Day first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

In the final Session of the Lenten Nicene Creed Sermon Series, Fr. Hovnan discusses the final end of God’s amazing relationship with humankind, to raise up a church that is one and is holy, that raises up its members and the entire world to its highest calling in Christ. The post Orthodox, evangelical, apostolic & catholic! first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

And so that’s the Holy Spirit as presented in the words of the Creed. It is like the air we breathe, so hard to notice because we have been in it, but more than air, it is air from God, breath of God that changes and inspires us from inside.  Jesus gives a very clear,… The post Filled & Fulfilled by God’s Spirit first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

Last week we saw that the Creed gives us only 18 words to describe God the Father last week, because though words like Father and Creator point to His nature, God is beyond all words. We have a different problem when we try to describe Jesus the Son in our Creed.  Words aren’t enough to… The post God Enters HisStory first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

In the second session of our Lenten Sermon series on the Nicene Creed, we talk about God the Father, a God so great that we must choose our words very, very carefully! The post Love Beyond Words first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

Though fallen out of use and focus for various reasons, the Nicene Creed is a crucial roadmap that points us in the direction of a deeper relationship with God. It asks and points us to answers of the greatest question for any Christian believer, Jesus’ question to disciples of all ages, ‘who do you say… The post Why We Need the Nicene Creed first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

Some of the most compelling novels and films ever made are about characters who live double lives. A high school chemistry teacher who is actually a drug kingpin or a sweet suburban couple who are actually spies for the KGB.  The reason these stories are so compelling is because, though less dramatic, we all tend… The post My Double Life first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

That’s the promise highlighted in today’s reading and Holy Scriptures as a whole. Scripture is nothing less than thousands of years of God’s promises, the Old Promise and the New Promise that God, if we only ask, will right the wrongs of evil in this world and gives us abundant life. Paul says this in… The post Learning to Fly first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

Yes, Jesus’ kingdom is not of this earth, but at the same time, God made this all for us, and Jesus has left us in charge until his return.  Several times on Sundays and hopefully every day, we pray as Jesus taught us; ‘Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is… The post Politicked Part II first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

What both sides must realize is that if you weaken healthy religion, it just manifests as unhealthy religion. When people stop believing in anything, they believe in everything. People worship minority identities and rights, canceling and exiling those who blaspheme again their gods.  People worship a false savior who alone can save us from the… The post Politicked first appeared on St....

Proverbs perhaps best sums up the Biblical wisdom that is so applicable to us today on the day of our Diocesan Assembly, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Pr 16:3) As I have told you so often, I am always preaching to myself as well as to you… The post So Why is the Light On? first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

You know today’s reading. We probably should know it by heart, that’s likely why our ancient lectionary assign it two times a year. Most people would say it is the most quoted lines in all the Gospels, what Martin Luther called the Gospel in miniature, summarizing salvation history.  ‘For God so loved the world that… The post Lost and Found in Translation first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian...

We have now gotten up to Chapter 15 in our Bible study on the Gospel of John, and everyone including me are amazed at how rich and profound this book is in theology, writing and understanding of the human condition.  How strange then that John’s first recorded miracle of Jesus-also today’s assigned reading, is when… The post Red, Red, Wine … Strange First Sign! first appeared on St. Hag...

On the night before the British census of April 1, 1911, a woman named Emily Davison spent the night locked in a broom closet in Westminster Palace.  Why? Because Davison was a leader in the campaign for the right of women to vote and be elected to office-which was illegal at the time. So she… The post But Who’s Counting? first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .

We all hear something different when we hear the word Christmas and all we hear are small parts of the soundscape of Christmas.  But with so many voices and a fair amount of noise flooding the air in the Christmas season, we must be careful to hear what was originally said-the Avedis-the good news of… The post Do You Hear What I Hear? first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church .